The software installation process for a typical storage system is particular to the storage platform and sometimes to particular configurations of that platform. But today, storage providers are providing many different platforms, each with many different configurations. It is becoming infeasible to provide a different software installation package and process for each combination of platform and configuration.
However, attempts to consolidate software installation packages and processes to operate with multiple storage platforms and configurations have caused problems. Such consolidation has caused lengthy installation times, manufacturing issues, non-robust behavior, and lack of ability to reset the system to a factory installed mode, just to name a few of the problems encountered. There is a need to provide a unified installation mechanism for multiple storage platforms and configurations that avoid and/or solve these problems.